News in higher education

HCC president takes leave of absenceHopkinsville Community College (HCC) President Dr. Bonnie Rogers has been granted
an eight-month leave of absence. An acting president will be appointed. Rogers has
served as HCC president since July 2000. She came to HCC from Portersville (Calif.)
College, where she was president.(HCC release to media, Sept. 22, 2005)

UK enrollment of African Americans down 40 percentHCC president takes leave of absenceHopkinsville Community College (HCC) President Dr. Bonnie Rogers has been granted
an eight-month leave of absence. An acting president will be appointed. Rogers has
served as HCC president since July 2000. She came to HCC from Portersville (Calif.)
College, where she was president.(HCC release to media, Sept. 22, 2005)

UK enrollment of African Americans down 40 percentEnrollment of black freshmen at the University of Kentucky fell 40 percent this fall151
this year compared to 226 in Fall 2004a drop university officials blame in part on
tougher admissions standards. Black freshmen make up 4 percent of the incoming class
for Fall 2005. Interim Provost Scott Smith called the decrease “a serious challenge.”
(The Courier-Journal, Sept. 10, 2005)

Colleges prepare for end of ‘echo boom'College enrollment directors are concerned about the future, as demographic trends
that have been in their favor are expected to taper off over the next 10 years. The
number of high school students will decline, projections indicate, and competition
for them could be fierce. To prepare, universities are building more partnerships
with high schools, funding more scholarships, revamping Web sites for tech-savvy students
and increasing their recruiting/marketing efforts. (St. Louis Post Dispatch, Sept.
17, 2005)

Can public universities stay public?In a speech at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she formerly served as
president, Katherine Lyall said that, as state tax support for public higher education
declines, educators and elected officials must arrive at new ways to fund and govern
public institutions, including options such as making them partially private. Lyall,
a tenured economist, and other guest speakers indicated that, like it or note, privatization
already is occurring as other priorities, such as K-12 education and health care,
take precedence in state budgets, causing universities to make up the difference with
tuition increases and other non-state revenue. (Madison.com, Sept. 13, 2005)